Paradox of the Rings
by Firefly Knights
Summary: When I woke up in Middle Earth I was a ten-year old. My friend was a dragon. My sister was a magical sword. Now the Elemental Spirits want me to save their king...Wait what? Self insert. T for minor langauage and violence.
1. Sinkholes and Apparitions

This is a self-insert, ok? Ok. It's fairly original, ok? Ok. Now to the disclaimer…

Lord of the Rings belongs to many people including J.R.R. Tolkien, Hollywood, the world, British people, and artists. Out of some strange loophole in the copyright body of law however, it does not belong to me. The spells used by inserted main character are from the Tales of series by Bandai Namco, which also does not belong to me. Go figure. Florida belongs to Floridians, and alligators belong to Mother Earth and the people who raise them for shoes, bags, jackets, and gator tail meat.

Names have been changed so that people don't try to find us in phonebooks in order to send flames by phone and snail-mail. Not like people actually do that but…whatever.

* * *

**Sinkholes and Apparitions**

A few months ago I was walking along the sidewalk with my friend Kia and my sister Sakura. I had invited Kia on a walk, and my sister had tagged along. It was good to be back in the states, even if it was for only a week.

"When are you going back the Japan again?" asked Kia, watching a pip-sqeak alligator swim lazily across the surface of the lake that we passed.

I turned to watch the gator as well, wishing that the quaint little creatures lived in Tokyo, too. I missed finding them so casually everywhere I went. All I ever saw in Tokyo were wild koi fish (which are an appallingly boring shade of gray) and pigeons pecking at the gray dirt. Everything seemed gray in Tokyo compared to the wonderful swamplands of Florida. The streets, the parks, the buildings, the people, everything was gray in Tokyo. At least, the metropolis seemed that way to me.

"Soon," I said, shrugging as the alligator disappeared back under the water, "I want to stay, but I have college over there, obviously. And a job at a bakery and everything."

Sakura, who was obviously bored, skipped ahead so that she would get there, wherever we were going, faster, "I haven't met everyone yet! So let's hurry and go meet everyone, Lisa."

"Yeah, yeah," she began pulling on my sleeve. I tripped as she did and caught myself before touching the sidewalk with my face. She was so much older and stronger than the little baby sis that I remember, "Be nice. I'm old now remember?"

Old at eighteen? Maybe. I felt like I was already forty. Life is half over by the time you enter college, that's what people say. And for woman it's usually go to college, get a job, then quit the job in four years because you have to have kids. I suddenly had the horribly painful feeling of wanting to start over at about age four. Or maybe twelve, since I didn't want to waited a few years to ride the fun rides at Disney World if I was going to go back and do everything over.

Kia turned to me again as if she was about to say something when we felt the ground shake. Although we all probably knew what an earthquake felt like, it scared us. Earthquakes in Florida were rare, and rare meant dangerous. The thought of a giant sinkhole crossed our minds. The image of it opening under us to swallow us down into an underground lake. I felt tears of fear burn my eyes as I reached for my little sister's hand. The earth shook and cracked under our feet. The cement of the sidewalk groaned and screeched as it tried to settle on the shifting soil beneath. A few feet away, the sidewalk crumbled and fell into a black something. The falling spread, and unluckily towards us. I looked at Kia, knowing that running wouldn't help if the water far under us was huge, which it probably was. We stood staring at each other's fearful eyes before the ground yawned its mouth and took us in.

* * *

I don't exactly remember falling, but I remember something surreal. I was holding my sister in a desperate hug. Maybe if I hit the ground first, she could survive. Maybe we'll hit the underground lake, and maybe it'll be deep enough for all of us to survive. Maybe, this, maybe that. I was thinking, just thinking, when I saw a small girl with brown-green eyes. She seemed to be standing next to us, dressed in a medieval tunic with an elegant sword at her hip, looking at me, a smile on her face. If I was falling, she seemed to be rising, but somehow, we were right next to each other. She opened her mouth. No sound came out but the words resounded in my head.

_Don't be scared, everything will be alright. Just be yourself, and everything will work out._

I tried to answer, but she suddenly shot upwards and disappeared from my sight. Nothing remained and everything went dark.


	2. Lakes and Glowing Eyes

**Lakes and Glowing Eyes**

When I woke up, it was dark. Dark and extremely wet. I tried the age old custom of trying to see my hand in front of my face. I could only see it in a blurred sort of way, if I squinted and thought really hard about what my hand looked like. I seemed to be on a bunch of rocks, and also happened to be half submerged. I really did fall into a sinkhole. I instinctively looked up to see where I had fallen from. Then cocked my head to the side.

Where's the hole in the cavern ceiling?

Did I not fall? Was it a dream? Is this just another one?

I shook my head, shaking water droplets and thoughts from my head. I dragged myself out of the water so that I could avoid the horrors of slow hypothermia. It was dark. There was a lake, apparently. I didn't know where the others were. Maybe they were close by, still unconcious. It that case, I thought, I better start putting that lifeguard training to work, or they would probably drown.

I sat on the cold, but relatively dry rocks. I dried dreadfully slowly, my jeans staying wet and therefore heavy. I seemed to have lost my socks and shoes. I pulled my black hoody around myself, looking around and seeing nothing but an tiny bit of light coming in from the sides and the light bouncing off of the lake. It was a pretty big lake, and made me wonder if something lived in it. The biologist in me began begging me to let us take a long refreshing swim to look for some undiscovered species of subterranean fish. I ignored that notion for the moment and sat waiting for the others…Or a rescue team with ropes and ladders. Six o' clock news, here we come.

Instead, a pair of softly-glowing globes in the lake turned to me instead. That's when I suddenly felt like whatever was in the lake was not something I wanted to meet.

There was a long, loud hiss like a bursting exhaust pipe. Then there was a big splash in the middle of the lake. This was followed by a bunch of smaller splashes that became slowly louder and obviously closer. I scrambled to my feet and stepped back away from whatever it was. Thousands of possible outcomes passed through my head, none of them all that pleasant.

On the fourth or fifth step, I stepped on something that obviously wasn't a rock. It made a off-key _clang _when I stepped on it, and a indignant squeak as well. Wait, a squeak? I bent down for an instant and picked whatever it was up, and accidently cut one of my fingers. I realized that it must have been a sword. I held it where I was pretty sure was a hilt. When I did, a large jewel near the guard glowed slightly pink.

"Lisa, look out for the thing!"

The jewel glittered slightly when the voice passed through my head. A talking sword. I would have been spazzing out and interested if I wasn't in danger. The eyes were closing in.

"Lisa! You remember the chant for Rock Break?"

"A little?" I said, wondering why this sword's voice sounded so familiar to me.

"Good enough," the sword said with a hint of disappointment. "Kyo Ran Se Shi…"

"Chirei no utage yo!" I finished, remembering the spell from the video game. I pointed the sword at the approaching eyes, "Rock Break!"

In disbelief I watched, or listened to be honest, as the rocks around me suddenly lifted themselves up and converged on the incoming creature. It gave another one of its loud hisses and feel to the ground. I stepped away from it again.

"Why does it know to use the rockses? Can it talk to them, precious?"

There is only one thing anyone can say in this situation.

"Gollum!?" I heard the sword say the same thing.

"Why does it know our name, precious? Does it knows it from the Bagginses?"

Gollum seemed interested, which was good. It gave me a few seconds to think, not to mention live before he decided to skip the formalities and eat me instead.

Gollum knows who Bilbo Baggins is, but he's in this cave, which is probably Gollum's lake cave thing. That would mean I'm somewhere in between the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. That's good, I think. And the Fellowship hasn't gone through the mines yet. Gollum would probably want to know where Bilbo is. Why the heck am I in Middle-Earth?

That was my last thought, because I was too busy trying to figure out a good excuse that would let me live. I was more interested in giving Gollum information that he wanted so he didn't attack than knowing where I was.

"I'm an enchantress," I lied, or lied as far as I knew, "And a powerful one. I can feel it in the air that a hobbit will come through the mines. He carries danger and peril with him. But with these items, he also carries your birthday present," I paused to take a long breathe. Lying wasn't usually this nerve-racking. Then again, I had never lied to actually save my life before. I told myself that I wasn't really lying. I knew Frodo would come through the mines, anyways, "I can help you meet him, and help you catch fish without having to lift a finger besides."

Gollum seemed to consider this as his eyes went left and right. I waited with baited breath until he finally looked at me. It was at this point I noticed that he was nearly at eye level with me. It must have been creepy to always be with this guy. I thanked whatever luck I had that I at least didn't meet the creature outside.

"Does it promises?" mumbled the strange little person, "Does it swears?"

I looked back at him the best I could, "A sorceress cannot give her word. She only does what she feels like. I will spare you and even help you, but only if you play nice."

My sincerest hope was that I sounded cryptic enough to sound believable.


	3. Diving and Dragons

**Diving and Dragons**

A week past in Gollum's cave. I caught fish with spells just as I had promised.

"Muzu ni nomare ro…" I muttered holding the talking sword in both hands. I could feel the waves of energy caress my skin before shooting off to gather water from the lake. When I felt the water fall in sync with the energy I shouted the rest, "Aqua Edge!"

The water rose up in the air and I directed it straight at the nearest cave wall. The water hurtled at surprising speed towards the wall, cut into the stone half an inch, then splashed into regular old water again. Unlucky fish that happened to be in the water fell to the ground, flapping helplessly. This would be the only time Gollum ever came to bother us. He would paddle to shore in his tiny raft, take a fish or two, then paddle back to his islet, looking annoyed at us the entire time. The sword laughed at this. I panicked at first, but soon realized that Gollum couldn't hear the sword's voice. That made sense the second day.

That second day was the day I realized that the sword was my sister turned into a magical sword. It made sense, but I was still surprised, anyways.

"It's about time you noticed," said the sword with obvious disdain, the jewel in the middle of the guard glowing and even brighter pink, "Apparently, whatever transported us here decided it would be funny to turn me into a Swordian."

The only Swordians I knew were the enchanted weapons created by Harold Belisarius in Tales of Destiny. They were swords with a special ore called "Lens" put into the hilt or guard that were then injected with a person's personality. I decided that I would follow the tradition in the games and name the sword Swordian Sakura, after the person that it had the personality of. The "Lens" was supposed to have the spells I could use programmed into it or something, which explained why Sakura knew them, and I could use them. It also explained why Gollum couldn't hear Sakura, since in the video games only the wielders of the Swordians, known as Swordian Masters, could actually hear their swords and use the spells. We talked for a while, but both of us had no idea where Kia was.

* * *

When I became bored, I would explore the other tunnels and ends of caves. I never went too far because I have a horrible sense of direction that would probably lead me off of a cliff. Yes, even if there aren't really that many cliffs in a cave, I would still somehow find one and fall off. However, despite my labors of not trying to get lost, I still did. I stumbled around in the dark for a little, until I noticed a glow of a fire. I hadn't seen anything like that for days by that time, and I went cautiously towards it. As I approached I could hear hoarse voices laughing and singing. (And singing terribly off-key at that.) I looked carefully around the corner to see a huge group of goblins. I could understand why everyone fought wars with them. They were not only unpleasant to look at, but also to hear and smell. And probably to taste, but I wouldn't know that. Gollum would, obviously, but I wouldn't.

I saw only one thing there that wasn't in the movie or books. It was a dragon, just about the size of a great dane. It was chained and muzzled in their midst, but the goblins kept their distance, probably because dragons have claws that could do them harm. The dragon was something beautiful to see. It had a reddish glow around it. Its whole was adorned with jet-black scales, and stared out into space with eyes that seemed to be gray. I came back a few more times just to look at it, before I decided to do something about it.

I waited until most of the goblins were drunk off whatever they seemed to be drinking every day. I didn't have to wait long at all. Many were asleep by the time I got there.

"Kotodoku fuse yo," Sakura laughed with delight, since we both knew that this spell was our personal favorite, "Fusatsu no tetsui…"

I gave Sakura a florish, and pointed her at the goblins, "Pico Han!!"

Red plastic hammers appeared in the air above each goblin, glowing with slight, white magic. They all fell on the goblins' heads, magically knocking them out cold. I gave Sakura a pat, our variation of a high five, before approaching the dragon.

"Moechai na! Fireball!" I said, sending exactly that at the chains that held the dragon in place. The chains immediately turned red, heated by the magical flames. I closed my eyes, concentrating since I was less talented at the next element according to our practicing in the tunnels, "Kouchi mai na! Ice Needle!"

Said needles of ice crashed into the red-hot chains, blasting the metal with the sudden change in temperature. I gave a sigh of relief at the fact that an ancient plan like that actually worked. We left together, leaving the goblins to wake up puzzled.

* * *

When we got back to Gollum's cavern, the dragon shook itself off, then flapped her wings in a testing sort of way. It looked towards me, its eyes suddenly turning from gray to gold.

"Thanks, Lisa. I was wondering when you were actually going to do something," it said in a familiar voice, "I get turned into a dragon, then I can't do anything about it. I was cursing the world at being cruel until I noticed you sneaking around."

A dragon was a fitting form for Kia. She had always loved dragons, at least, for as long as I knew her. I always thought she was a lot like those flying wonders of the fantasy world; free, strong, and a chronic pack-rat.

"It's great to find you again, Kia," I said, smiling at her. I felt kind of small next to her, but she was probably pretty big. I put my arms around her serpentine neck, the closest I could do to a hug, "And be happy that you aren't a sword. This is Sakura, you know."

"I thought so," mused Kia, tapping her claws on the rocks, "I could feel a Sakura-y-ness from the pink jewel-y thing in the hilt. And the voice, but I was pretty sure that it was my imagination."

"You can hear it?" I asked, surprised slightly.

"Maybe the rule doesn't apply with dragons," reasoned Sakura, sighing, "Dragons can do _anything,_ anyways."

Days went by without too much happening. We still caught fish with spells to feed us as well as Gollum. Kia helped by gutting the fish with her claws, then cooking them instantly while practicing breathing fire. It was the first time in days that I had eaten something that was actually cooked all the way through, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Gollum hissed in disgust at the smell of cooked fish, which Kia only laughed smokely at.

* * *

A goblin came into the cavern one day, obviously looking for Kia. However, he was drown and eaten by Gollum before he had a chance to know what hit him.

"Poor, ugly devil," I said, gnawing on the head of a fish. The meat in the fish's cheek is some of the best on the entire body. Yes, I like fish.

"He was evil, and he deserved what was coming to him," said Sakura. She was sulking because eating had been rendered impossible for her since she wasn't a proper living being anymore.

"Yeah, well, I still wouldn't want to go that way," said Kia, staring at the spot where we had last seen the goblin standing.

* * *

Some days, I would jump into the underground lake to have a swim. I would hold Sakura in one hand, in case Gollum got any ideas. Thankfully, my backpack had been transported with me, and my swim goggles were in it. I went diving, watching the blind, white cave fish in their natural habitat. I would dive a few times, chasing the fish that simple dodged out of the way as I tried to grab them. How did Gollum catch these things when he didn't have me, anyways?

It was on one of these swims that I found something that could potentially be used to my advantage.

I had swum quite far from the shore and had resurfaced for a breath of air. There was a wall in front of me, signaling that I had crossed the lake completely. Curious, I dove back down to investigate the details of the wall.

No sooner had I reached near the bottom of the lake when a snake-like appendage shot out of a hole near the bottom of the wall. Half-panicked, I gave a swift kick and shot towards the surface. If I hadn't been a strong swimmer, I probably wouldn't have been able to catch a short breath of precious air before the thing curled around my ankle to drag me back down.

I forced myself to get calm. As I felt my head cooling off, I got the most obvious idea cross my head. Swinging in a slow, underwater arc, I sliced whatever had my leg tangled. There was a furious, nail-on-the-chalkboard noise from beyond the hole before the injured thing disappeared back into the wall. I stared after it for a moment before remembering that I needed to breathe.

Kicking swiftly to the surface, I broke the water with a loud gasp. I floated there for a moment, gulping air before hurrying back to the shore. Kia waited there, her eyes turning a dark navy with worry.

"What was that?!" she asked, obviously knocked off her normality by the incident. She began breathing lightly over me. She had said that she had two ways that her breathe ran, the normal one, and the one where the larynx was replaced with a fire-breathing organ. She was breathing through her fire breathing one softly in order to warm me, but not burn me to a crisp.

"Thanks," I said, pushing my goggles up to my forehead, "I think it might have been the Watcher of the Water. I never knew that his lake outside was connected to the one down here. But it makes sense I guess, some caves are like that."

"It makes perfect sense when you think about it," said Sakura, apparently thinking it over in her pretty, pink jewel, "Gollum over there is obviously a strong swimmer, but he uses a boat. It all fits into place if he rides a boat to avoid the Watcher. I would, anyways. It's not going to be effective if he gets attacked, but it probably gives him a sense of security."

Kia tapped her claws on the rocky floor, her eyes slowly changing to a thoughtful, lighter green, "So why do you have that hopeful look on your face, Lisa?"

A slow smile spread across my face. I turned slightly to address my dragon friend, "The Watcher's lake is _outside_ of the mines, remember?"

"I'm a generic fire dragon," said Kia, her eyes switching to a disdained blue-green, "I'd probably sizzle, sink, and die if I tried the idea of swimming."

"My breathe wouldn't last me if I tried to swim the distance, Kia," I told her, sounding more confident as I rolled the idea over and over in my head, "I promise, this is a better plan."

* * *

And that's the end of my first update. The next update will actually get us out of the Mines of Moria...Hopefully...


	4. Waves and Beginnings

I made a minor change and turned the word twelve to ten. Yes, a very minor change. Thanks to Schizophrenic-unicorn for putting this on her watch list.

* * *

**Waves and Beginnings**

The allegory of the cave.

I've never liked that story. It's not because it scares me with ideas about actual reality and all that. I can accept it if this world we live in isn't the truth at all. The world we live in is important and beautiful enough as it is for me to ignore the real world completely. I wouldn't do anything to try and find the actual truth. I'm too busy with my life here; my friends, my family, my home, my ideas, my research, my world. My hate for the fable has never been rooted there at all. You see, I never liked it because it made me think about the people in it.

Why were they chained to the cave? Who did that to them? Did they deserve it, or was it some horrible trick played on them by a bunch of losers? Did they really believe that all the world was the shadows on the walls? Did they feel happy? Sad? Angry? Did they experience love, even with the silhouettes that passed by above the wall over their head?

And because I thought about these things, I would look like I was daydreaming. My teachers would snap me out of it and give me extra work or detention, and that would be the end of that. That's the problem that aspiring researchers face, all I wanted to know was why.

I hate that story.

* * *

For a long time, all Sakura could feel at all were the slow, rhythmic movements of the blind cave fish. She stood wedged into a niche in the rocks, submerged halfway in into the lake. She concentrated on the vibrations that shot through the water. Whatever her sister's plan was, she had been pretty confident about it. All the girl inside the pink jewel had to do was feel for tiny vibrations, followed by big chaotic ones. That couldn't be too hard, right?

I was sitting on the shore, still in the dark, holding one of the odd fish in my hands. I had become relaxed since my first encounter with the Watcher, since then an estimated three days had past. I stared at the cave fish, which was already half-dead in my hands. I wouldn't let him go to waste. I would eat him of course, but my scientific urges were screaming to be satisfied.

I passed a hand across the pale head, touching the soft skin over the sockets where the eyes used to be on its far, far ancestor. My hand moved over and touched the gills. Man, I love gills…I have, like, a gill fetish or something. When I go to eat lobster or crab, I always freak my friends out because I stop to poke and prod the crustacean gills. ("Did you_ know_ that walking actually moves these gills so that they can take in more oxygen when they run away from predators? _Did_ you _know_ that…" and then usually someone stops me.) I sat there, trying to see as I opened up the gills. I could feel the feathery feeling of fish gills overlapping each other between the large outer flap and the almost completely hollow skull on the other side. After a moment of gill staring I inspected the scales, which were spiny to the touch. I assumed that a hundred years of being hunted by Gollum had caused all the slightly spinier fish to survive, just like how gray to black moths survived through the Industrial Revolution in London. Its fins were also so sharp, that if I wasn't careful, they could probably stab into my skin. I sighed happy when Kia laughed a smoky laugh.

"You're like a mad scientist," she said, her eyes the brilliant gold-yellow of happiness. It was a good thing that dragons in Tolkien's world just so happened to glow slightly. It'd be scary to see those eyes shining in the dark, even if she happened to be one of my best friends _evar_, "Not like that's a bad thing, of course. Can I cook that now? If we're getting out of this place, I want to stock up some fish in your backpack over there so I have something to eat."

My backpack, by the way, was the only thing we had left from the real world. Well, that and the clothes I was wearing that day: a black zip-up hoodie, a pair of jeans, and a one piece bathing suit. (Yes, bathing suit. We were planning on going swimming that day when the earthquake happened.) Kia and Sakura, who both obviously didn't need that sort of thing since they had become a sword and a dragon, brought along absolutely nothing at all.

In the backpack were: two pairs of goggles, two post-freshly laundered towels, a novel by Diana Wynne Jones (Dogsbody), five tiny pencils, one actually useable pencil, a pen, and a notebook.

I wished (at a time that I got somewhere I could actually see) that I had brought a book that I hadn't read. That or the actual Tolkien books, since it had been years since I actually read them. Then I realized that I would have been happier in a Diana Wynne Jones world, especially the world of the Derkholm series. The mages in those were halfway scientists, after all. Maybe I was in the Chrestomanci world(s). After all, this could be a world of a series. Maybe if I tried hard enough, I could do something to pop myself into other worlds like the man himself. That would have been a completely different thing entirely. I would probably be world-hopping to find my way back home. Then of course, this story would be in the crossover section.

I tossed the fish at the softly-glowing dragon, who caught the thing in her mouth before slicing it cleanly with her claws.

"You've changed a lot from the sugar-high rich girl living in a huge house," I told her, looking out towards the lake but seeing only tiny flecks of reflected light bouncing off the surface. It sucked to be in a dark cavern, "You're a dragon survival expert."

"Weeeee!!" she answered, blowing fire along with the sudden exclamation, "I can still be sugar high without the sugar, Lisa! Dragons! Pyramids! Anubis! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeegypt!"

I laughed out loud this time, half-relieved that turning dragon hadn't snuffed out the old Kia spaztastic-ness, "Well, I wouldn't mind sugar. Or tangerines and apples and chocolate and creampuffs and soup and vegetable sticks and fish besides this cave variety…and lots of other things that I'll forget if I have to spend another couple of days in here."

"Would you biological organisms stop talking about food?" came Sakura's annoyed voice from the lake, "I'm trying to feel the water."

Just then, Sakura felt new movements in the water. They were staccato, unmistakable with the swish of a fin. Each one of them was followed by a displacement of water that was larger than any creature she could imagine. The Watcher, it seemed, was fidgeting its tentacles irritably. With each new staccato sound, the Watcher twitched again, its rage climbing to a boiling point. Then, Sakura felt a huge rush of water. The movement was so huge, that the surface of the underground lake moved ever so slightly. The movement here in Gollum's cave was peaceful, but since the other lake was so far away, it could only mean that the battle outside the Mines was horribly energetic.

"Lisa! He moved!" screeched the voice in the pink jewel, "They're here!"

I snapped my fingers excitedly. Unless this was a world in the series where the Fellowship died before they made it out of the Mines of Moria, it was time for us to attempt a tag-along and leave Gollum's Happy Soggy Place.

"Oi, Gollum!"

Gollum looked up on his little island, eyes glowing eerily in the gloom.

"I wonders what the witches wants, precious. What does it wants? _gollum gollum_"

The slightly creepy, but in-the-end-oddly-likeable creature made his way across the lake in his boat again. Kia packed the last fish into my backpack, before handing it to me. I took it, slinging it over my shoulders before tugging Sakura out of the rocks. I pointed her at Gollum, hoping to look dominant and official. It was hard to guess what a strange creature thought of you when it was almost completely dark and all that reflected light were those huge blue eyes. I was starting to feel bad about sending this guy on the journey that would end in his demise.

"The Hobbit Baggins has come. His name is not Bilbo, but Frodo. He has your birthday present with him, but where I will not reveal," I said, the scene where Gollum burns in the mountain churning though my head, "Our time in the cave is done, we must face the sun outside. A journey awaits for you now and at the end again."

I hoped that was cryptic. Despite my anxiety, however, Gollum seemed excited a practically lept over us to get out of his long-time home. I shrugged and put a hand on Kia's neck to signal that we should get going, too. It was time to follow the ring.

* * *

No, not out yet, sorry. The next update will being coming ASAP. Maybe by the end of today...Hopefully...


	5. Flight Plans and Eye Contact

**Flight Plans and Eye Contact**

There was hardly any sound from me as we trekked through the tunnels. Instead, Kia made the most noise as she walked a little way ahead of us. It was a good thing that she was on the smaller side for a dragon, since she needed it to be able to weave her way through the long, dark passages of the Mines of Moria. Every once in a while the tips of her wings would skim the stone walls. The walls, of course, became more and more like bricks of stone by the moment, signaling that we were entering more mine and less caves and caverns. I tried to remember how much time we had, or in simpler terms, how much time the Fellowship stayed in the Mines. If this was the movie version, we maybe had about a day or two to find the Fellowship and tag along. On the other hand, the book gave us a few more days. Right? I couldn't quite remember either option, since it had been a few years since I enjoyed both routes. I walked carefully behind my girl-turned-dragon friend, making sure I didn't slice my bare feet open on a sharp rock or a broken brick.

Kia was leading for a number of reasons. While she was a captive of the goblins of the Mines, she had been taken all over the caves. She knew most of the tunnels and chambers, so we put her in charge of navigating. The second reason was that I had a horrible sense of direction. The last was that she said she could actually see a little in pitch black, so she seemed the obvious choice.

"And what about me?" asked Sakura, whom I carried in one hand. If I had a belt, I might have stuck her at my hip, but I didn't, of course, "I, at least, have a better sense of direction then both of you combined."

This was true, of course. The pattern was usually: I get lost, Sakura notices the fact that we are lost, she leads, we magically get to the desirable destination. I rolled my eyes anyways, annoyed that my little sister had the upper hand in something. I shook my head.

"You're a sword," I told her spitefully, "You don't have the feet to walk, never mind lead us to the Fellowship."

We kept on like that for a while, all of us anxious to meet the famous Fellowship of the Ring deep down. Every once in a while Kia would leave a trail of smoke behind her. At these moments, my eyes would water and I would give a cough or two. Sakura would laugh with superiority since none of this affected her at all. I would then sigh, because that's all you can do when your sister, who used to be the cutest baby sister in the world, is laughing at you for being completely human.

* * *

There was a moment when I could feel my heart drop into my stomach. Kia smiled and seemed to concentrate. Then, with a flourish of her tail, the huge hall lit up with dark red light from the glow of her jet-black scales. The pillars holding up the ceiling seemed to travel upwards for an eternity. I gasped and fell back on her, staring in awe at architecture. It made me wonder how dwarves could have possible man such a place with their diminutive height. I had seen something quite like it on Ropongi Street in Tokyo, but that was made of metal piping and glass. It also wasn't nearly as wide and huge.

"We know they'll pass through here, right?" said Kia, lowering herself so she could lie down on the smoother stones of the hall, "So we can wait here and rest 'til they come. Good idea, right?"

"A great idea, Kia," I mumbled, still staring upwards at the ceiling, dazed by the immensity of the room.

"You two sleep or something, then," said Sakura, oddly quiet, "I don't need sleep, so I'll wake you up if I feel or hear someone coming."

"Thanks," I said, out of habit. I took out a towel from my backpack, laying it on the floor. I'd been saving the towels for this sort of moment, so I didn't end up sleeping on soggy towel.

Kia snorted a smoky laugh, "Never forget your towel."

I smiled, the reference now seemed like a far-off memory of home, "'_A towel... is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitch hiker can have.'_ I'd never leave Earth without mine."

Oh, how I would know how true those words really were.

* * *

I was dreaming about something. There were pastel colors, and everything seemed quiet. The colors mixed or something and I could see a faint light somewhere far away. There was a sterile smell in the air, and all I felt was softness beneath. I thought for a while and thought about moving my hand up…

"Wake up! Something's coming! A lot of somethings!"

I sprang up, snatching the still shouting Sakura from where she was leaning onto a nearby pillar. There was a huge noise of goblins shouting and screaming from somewhere back down the tunnels. I held onto Sakura's hilt with my left hand while picking up my towel and backpack with my right. They were definitely coming.

Kia whipped her tail around and dimmed her glow the best she could. A rumble escaped her throat, a very dragonish sound that I had never heard before. Suddenly I could see a very white light shoot out of the entrance, followed by two smaller blue ones. I gasped and saw the Fellowship for a few seconds. All of them, and the last moment they would actually be all there. Then, a wave of goblins and trolls surrounded them, and all I could see was the white light of Gandalf's staff in the center. I froze. There was nothing I could do with that huge number of goblins. Kia ducked her snake-like head down, waiting for what we knew would happen next.

We waited, the quiet scarier than the noise that had just filled the hall when the goblins had flowed in. We were only a few meters away, holding our breath just as every other living thing in the room seemed to be doing. It was dark, still, and quiet. I almost liked it for a few moments.

Then, the Balrog came.

The goblins ran for it, all pouring out of the hall the way they came. The obviously terrible, but in my opinion, beautiful monster stomped and burned into view, filling my vision with red light. The light was almost like Kia's, I remember, but much more powerful and deadly. As the Fellowship headed towards their exit, I watched the Balrog, feeling a burning behind my eyes. They were odd tears that pushed up towards the front. They were a mixture of not just fear, but a truckload of other strong emotion, something I wouldn't feel again for a long time. How strange it was that I found a demon of fire and shadow beautiful, and felt sorry for it since it would soon fall into the chasm below.

The Balrog stomped angrily past. Or what we thought would be past and after the Fellowship. Instead, it paused in front of where we stood for a moment, staring at Kia with whatever eyes it had under the fire. It roared loudly at us for a moment, its voice echoing across the hall. It then passed, picking up its speed as it chased the Fellowship. I turned to Kia in surprise.

"It…It spoke to you," I stated the obvious.

"He called me a Fellow of Fire," she said, her eyes a shocked white, "And he told me to greet the Mother Sun."

I leaned out to check where the Bridge of Khazad-Dum was, "Well we might not be able to if the story moves as it was written. The bridge'll be out before then."

Kia stared at nothing with her whitened eyes, "No…"

I looked at her and she looked and me.

"He wants me to fly."

* * *

I passed a towel across the other side of Kia's neck. I nestled myself down on her back, above the wings, taking hold of both sides of the towel like a bridle. I thanked the god in charge of coincidence for having me stay at a horse-back riding ranch for a whole summer a few years before. I placed Sakura into my backpack carefully, so that she didn't cut right through it. I spoke to Kia.

"You sure about this, Kia?" I asked. I was actually rather scared of heights, "You've never actually tried flying before, and I'm almost as big as you."

Kia seemed more focused than I had ever seen her. Ever, "I can do this. I was turned this way when we got here, just to do this. I can do this…"

She began running down the hall like albatross running down the rocky beach; clumsy yet determined. She flapped her wings in slow, strong beats. For a few horrific moments I thought that she wouldn't lift off at all and we would fall straight down the chasm with Gandalf. Then, I felt the familiar feeling of lifting off the ground.

We glid upwards in the air, seeming to ride on a mass of air. I gave a shout of surprise at how oddly smooth the take-off was. It was at least five times smoother than a regular air plane taxi and take-off. I ducked down as we gained speed, heading straight towards the bridge where I could see the battle between the Balrog and Gandalf actually happening. We were all but ten feet up in the air, but the ground and everything happening on it didn't seem to matter at all.

The fiery whip rose and fell, catching Gandalf by the ankle as the bridge fell. The sound shot up to where we were. We were straight above when Gandalf fell, and the most remarkable thing happened.

I looked down, watching the old Gray Wizard lose his grip and fall. He looked up and I looked down. I thought I saw him look at me puzzled one moment, then suddenly smiling the next. Before I could check again or say something the abyss enveloped him, and I couldn't seem him. I was dazzled by the event, and felt as if Gandalf knew that he wasn't going to die after all, just because he saw a smallish dragon and a girl riding it before he fell.

We swooped right over the heads of the Fellowship. Kia shot straight up the stairs, folding in her wings when the tunnel got narrow. She opened them just as she came to the exit. In the process, she knocked down the two goblin guards standing outside, taking them out of the picture. She spun a barrel-roll once, before crashing into the rocks outside.

I instinctively closed my eyes from the sun. It was so intensely bright after being in Gollum's cavern for such a long time. I sat where I was throw off Kia, taking of the backpack that Sakura was in. After a few moments, I cracked on eye open half a millimeter, glaring out from the tiny window.

"What was that?!"

"Gandalf! Gandalf!"

"It was like nothing I have ever seen."

"Did Gandalf...?"

"I looked almos' like a big lizard. But there was something on top o' it too, like a child."

I looked backwards, and saw in the blurry way that you do when you look out of squinted eyes. There they came. They were all obviously sad over losing Gandalf, so I sat where I was on the ground next to Kia. I reached up and retrieved my towel, which needed to add "reins for any riding animal" to its endless list of uses.

How crazy my stay in Middle-Earth was going to be.


	6. Questions and Negotiations

Lisa the Sorceress, moment killer!

* * *

**Questions and Negotiations**

I didn't have to wait that long to be noticed. In fact, my companion was one of the first things they decided to talk about.

Remember that one line from the newer Star Wars movies; "aggressive negotiations" Yes. Kia ended up on the receiving end of that sort of negotiation.

Aragorn stood, his sword pointed straight at Kia's left eye. Kia lay on the ground. She was being so still; it seemed as if she were made of stone. I felt the intense feeling you feel when you're looking eye-to-eye with a snake. The feeling was floating around us, while a little way off, the others were still around the Hobbits, looking sorry for their loss.

I understood the fact that Aragorn was born to be the new king. His eyes were fixed on Kia, but I saw in them something that definitely wasn't everyday-average man. I've never seen any of them in person, but I was sure that great leaders of our world probably had the same sort of eyes. They were looking at everything at once. He would know where every piece would go if the world was a puzzle. I would have trusted him completely, but right now, Kia seemed to be in danger.

"What are you?"

Kia snorted a cloud of dark-gray fire at these words, annoyed at the fact that she was being threatened after her first, exhilarating flight. She flashed dark-red eyes of smoldering rage at the Ranger, "What's it to you, man?"

Aragorn seemed slightly confused by the way Kia spoke, but he stepped a little closer, "Why is a child with a creature of fire?"

I heard Kia say that it was none of his business, but something was now on my mind.

Who was he calling a child?

I was eighteen! An elementary school kid was what you called a child. I was old enough to drive, live alone, and drink alcohol in the Philippines! I know that earlier, while I was still in my own world, I had wished to be a child again. However, that had nothing to do with being called a child when you were old enough to get married without your parents' permission. I deserved a certain measure of respect, even from a would-be King of Men.

I jumped up, furious at the obviously older man. Taking Sakura by the hilt, I pulled her out of the backpack, just so I could point her threateningly at Aragorn, "Who are you calling a…"

I trailed off.

My eye level was just about level with Mr. Scruffy's elbow. I gasped, biting my right sleeve. (I'm left handed, by the way.) Kia turned slightly to me, her eyes questioning my stranger-than-usual behavior. Aragorn just gave me a look someone gives a butterfly that tries to land on their face and fails to get its footing. I looked down at myself, noticing in the light that the ground was strangely closer than it used to be. I took the sleeve out of my mouth and checked my hand. The fingers were shorter, my palm less lined. I touched my face, then my hair. Then, I gave a huge shout.

"What the hell!? I'm a kid again!"

Everyone turned to stare. Sakura sighed. If she had a body, I could tell that she would be shaking her head.

"You notice _now_?" she sighed, probably thinking I was an idiot for not noticing before.

Kia was now fully surprised, and momentarily forgot that she was in danger, "Are you serious? I thought you knew!"

By now Aragorn was completely confused, and lowered his sword. Puzzled, he made eye-contact with the others, who were only more confused.

"Perhaps she's under a curse from the dragon," supplied Gimli, helping Pippin get back on his feet.

"Then…" Aragorn took another step towards Kia, snapping me out of my confusion.

"Wait!" I shouted, pointing Sakura once more at the man, "Do it…" I watched as Sakura's glow sharpen as my emotions did, "…And I'll blast you to the end of the universe."

"This dragon…"

"Is my friend," I finished for him. I could just imagine Sakura nodding furiously in her jewel, "And if you hurt her, I'll blast you to smithereens, even if you are Aragorn, son of Arathorn heir to the throne."

They were surprised to hear me say the name and title, obviously. They would probably think I was a spy now. At this point, I knew my life was in danger as well. My brain started turning full speed, thinking up the next few words that were bound to be needed. I wouldn't stand a second against these odds, and only words could save all of us. Just think, sound cryptic, and don't give too much away. Keep something hidden to keep them interested, use your knowledge of the world you're in now…

"I know much, because…" I fixed the future king of men with my best confident look. I wasn't sure how useful it would be, now that I knew I happened to look like a very small child, "…Gandalf sent me in his place."

* * *

"Take her then," I said, tired from my desperate negotiations with Aragorn, "But if you break my sword or hurt my friend, I'll blow your face open."

"If she acts as she says," put in Legolas, "I'll be sure to shoot her before she does."

They took Sakura and Aragorn held her for the time being. They said that they were going to Lothlorien, and if I was making a lie, the Lady would know. They meaning Aragorn and Legolas, of course. I had managed to negotiate a way for me to travel along with them as long as they could hold my sword and dragon friend. This had two points. One was that without them I would just be a relatively harmless girl. The other was to keep both as hostage until they could figure out if they could trust me at all. It was a comparatively one-sided end to a negotiation, but it made perfect sense, and I complied.

"Why did you agree to these stupid conditions!?" asked Sakura, who obviously wasn't all that happy.

"Negotiations means that both sides are content," to told her, earning strange looks from the man and the elf who already looked like they wanted to abandon us by a few tall rocks.

After standing around a while to listen to Sakura's indignant comments about being handled by a dirty man, I decided to check up on Kia.

After a long argument, Kia had reluctantly consented with being attached to a leading rein. Sam was working Bill's old reins around Kia, not without some obvious fear. Kia sat on her haunches so she was just barely in the poor Hobbits reach. It was funny for a few moments to watch the portly Hobbit try to get a strap around the dragon's neck, but I soon felt bad for him. I gave Kia the "Do it to save our skins" look. Her eyes turned from amused yellow to put-off navy, and she dropped back down. Sam quickly finished his job and passed the reins to Boromir, who didn't really look happy with his given job either. It was then when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Did Gandalf really send you?" asked a slightly drier-eyed Pippin. Merry stood a step behind him, nodding.

It annoyed me a little that they were both just about the same height as me. I had a height complex while I was living in my own world to begin with, now I was Hobbit-sized. I guess these are the moments where people curse the fates, right?

"That is for you to decide in a few days."

"Well she riddles like a wizard, doesn't she?" said Merry, looking like he didn't completely trust me.

"If you mean to ask if you can trust me, you have my word that I won't harm anyone unless they harm me or my friends," I said, "I just happen to be from far away, I couldn't catch up until now, that's all."

"Are all sorceresses so young in your kingdom?" asked Pippin. He was a very curious Hobbit wasn't he?

I made a face, wishing that I had actually come in my own age, "No, Peregrin, not usually."

No one in my "kingdom" was a sorceress at all.

"And are you…"

"And we will not intrude in the affairs of sorceresses any longer," said Frodo, stepping up the rocks towards us, "We're moving on. We should leave this place, before the memories of what happened catches up to us again."

I watched the Hobbits join Sam and follow Aragorn down the rocks. I was about to follow when Boromir placed a hand on my head. I tried to move forward, but he could put more force in his hand than I expected. From afar, it probably looked like I was some badly-made puppet that you control with the head. I growled at him, angry that he would dare even touch my head. I suddenly heard a laugh from above, shocked, I looked up.

"You're not but a child, sorceress," said Boromir, smiling brightly, "I was a worried that you would turn out to be a monster."

With that he strode out ahead, pulling Kia gently forward. Kia, who had the look of someone who wanted to bite someone else's head off, followed grudgingly behind. I touched a hand to my hair, taken aback by the man's words. Did I really give off a sense of being a monster? As I thought silently to myself, I noticed that it was the first time in a while that I was thinking alone. Sakura was with Aragorn, Kia with Boromir. I could watch them both go down the rocky plateau along with the Fellowship that I had read about in the books and watched in the movies. It was the strangest feeling in the world to just stand there and think about how in the world(s) I was going to explain my situation to an elven lady who could see into my mind. I hoped she didn't get the impression that I was a monster, too. That would be a complete disaster. And we'd probably be exterminated on the spot besides.

I kept wondering about what would happen when Galadriel saw me and knew who I was. I reasoned that she would either reveal it to everyone, or do nothing at all. She might even send us right home, just like the Good Witch in the _Wizard of Oz_. Maybe she'd give us a pair of ruby slippers. If Sakura was my Tin Man and Kia was my Lion, who was my Scarecrow? Right, enough Oz references. Maybe she would give orders to kill us immediately because we weren't supposed to be in the world.

"_She won't."_

"What?"

I turned to see who had just spoke, but saw nothing. Now I was schizophrenic too.

I sighed, taking my hand off of my head. You see, if I keep still, I keep wondering and thinking until I actually do something. I turned back to where the last few of the group were going out of sight. Not wanting to be left on the open field of a rocky plateau when it was "swarming with orcs" I made a mad dash to follow. Gimli made a gruff laugh when I caught up, so I stuck my tongue out at him. At least I gave them something to laugh at by being a silly child sorceress.

Of course, I didn't have the power of Foresight to know that the worst and the craziest were yet to come.


	7. Arrows and Tears

I would like to thank my readers right now, since they got me this far. To AWanderersHaven, Hazelcloud, fairy246, warrior.831, who had watch listed this fic! Love ya.

I would especially like to thank Schizophrenic-unicorn. You're support has gotten me to post chapters at a rate I've never been able to get to before, for that, I thank you with all my heart!

**

* * *

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**Arrows and Tears**

Lothlorien was more than I could have ever imagined. It was also, apparently, nothing Peter Jackson could imagine either. Just looking up at the gargantuan (that's the only word that could do any justice at all) trees that loomed golden above us made me dizzy. I had lived in a marshland and then a hilly urban riverside, in that order. I had never seen a very tall tree. Seeing so many all around me was something so new, that I couldn't believe anything I could see. The beautiful trees distracted me from everything else. In fact, I was looking up for so long, that I ran smack into one of the trees themselves. Stars flew every which way in my vision. I heard the Hobbits trying not to giggle as they half-listened to Gimli talking about how evil and entrancing this Elf lady/sorceress was.

"And we must be cautious around this enchantress," the Dwarf continued, pointing a gloved finger at me, "Unlike the little sorceress here, the enchantress of these woods is actually a threat."

That was not something I was going to let by. I settled right there and then that I would pull out his beard as soon as the stars in my vision went away. However, at the same moment, a voice appeared in my head.

"_There is someone who wishes to meet you, Dragonfriend."_

It wasn't the first time I had heard a voice without seeing the owner of it. At least this time, I knew who's it was. Galadriel had a more soothing voice than I had imagined, and it felt as if just listening could wash my exhaustion away. However, I looked over at Frodo, and noticed that he wasn't having a pleasant time with the same source of head-voice.

"Well, here is one Dwarf she won't ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox!"

I felt an arrow pointed at my back, and decided it was better to walk forward instead of turn around to see who or what it was. Joining the others, I found a few more Elves pointing arrows at Kia than the others. She sighed, smoke curling out of her nostrils in long, thin lines. She looked at me, obviously asking if this whole thing was a good idea at all. I tried to will her to be patient. Sakura was screaming at the top of her voice that only Kia and I could hear that she couldn't take it anymore.

"Take me from Aragorn!" she shouted, the jewel blinking brightly, "Let's show these pansies what happens when they mess with us. Look at how ready they look to kill Kia! Just look!"

I just stared up at the canopy of leaves above, pretending not to hear anything. The Elves would soon lead us somewhere. I realized, however, that if Haldir had a problem with letting a relatively innocent-looking Hobbit into the woods because he had the One Ring, I had a horrible feeling that a dragon was out of the question. I hoped I was wrong.

* * *

Aragorn argued with Haldir. I was right of course, they wouldn't let Frodo into the woods, let alone a dragon and a girl found with said creature. I sat cross-legged next to Kia, passing a hand across the slightly spiny scales on her back. She was lying down completely, chewing on the head of a dried cave-fish. Merry and Pippin sat close by, watching with interest. Since they were curious Hobbits, they had already forgotten the fear they were supposed to have when they were around a dragon. After a moment, Kia took another fish out of the backpack, sliced it in half with a claw, then handed them to Merry and Pippin.

"Stop staring," said Kia, gnawing on her own fish again, "It's rude."

"You were right, Merry," said Pippin, chewing a piece of fish already, "She's nothing like that Smaug creature Bilbo told tales about. She shares and everything."

A small laugh spilled out of me, despite the situation we were in. Kia looked at me as if to ask for help. I smiled at her, trying to hold back another wave of laughter. By then Haldir was looking at us with a look that could burst a piece of paper into flame. I saw this and stopped short. That was one scary Elf…I gave a nod of greeting to him again as I had a few minutes ago. I thought he would turn back to Aragorn again, but instead, he came towards me.

I ducked, thinking that he would wack me over the head or something. I knew that look. It's the look people get when they want to smack someone. However, he just stood in front of where I sat, standing tall and proud. I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off.

"Would it trouble you to send your friend over the wood to the other side of Caras Galadhon," he asked, looking like he wanted me to refuse the offer so he had an excuse to shoot Kia.

"Umm…sure," I said, not wanting to get up so my head would be in range of his hand, "If it doesn't trouble the others to do that. Does it trouble you, Aragorn?"

Aragorn glanced over. His expression seemed relieved that at least one obstacle had been removed from his path. His shoulders dropped slightly, a tell-tale sign of how tense the argument had been until now.

"It does not trouble me that the dragon flies over the forest and waits for the judgment of the lady," he said, raising an eyebrow at Kia as if to say, "Do _exactly_ that."

"Weeeeeee!!" said Kia, stretching her wings to show off a terrific wing span. I noticed that she looked a tiny bit bigger than she had been when I first saw her. Maybe by the end of the journey, she would be the size of a proper dragon, "Then I get to fly again, right?"

I cocked my head to one side and spoke without looking back at Kia, "Be sure to make a beeline for the other side. If you fly too low or too slowly, they might shoot you without asking any questions," I looked up at Haldir, "Then I'd be angry. And I'm pretty sure the Elves know not to make a sorceress angry."

The words seemed to have a desired effect. Haldir looked like I had ruffled his feathers some. He walked back to where Aragorn was, and began arguing with Aragorn again.

As the argument began to heat up again, everyone began to avoid Frodo's eyes. I felt a bit sorry for him since out of all the assembled people there, he probably felt more responsible for Gandalf's death. My appearance had pushed back the feeling of dread a tiny bit, but now it was back with a vengeance. The whole group seemed to be fidgeting awkwardly again. I took the time to take the leading rein off of Kia. When I did, she took a huge breath of air,

"Thank gawd! That thing smelled like horse!"

I put a finger to my lip, telling her to shush, "Do what they decided, okay? I'll go get you as soon as Galadriel lets us stay. If I don't come to get you in a week or so then…" I shrugged, trying to look like I wasn't scared out of my wits on what would happen, "You might want to fly as far as you can, as fast as you can."

Kia's eyes turned a deep, deep blue, as if she was worried. She nodded. Running a few steps she launched off the ground, rocketing through the canopy above. I watched the small hole in the branches above for a few seconds, treasuring the feeling of the draft of air that the dragon left behind. If something did happen, Sakura was a sword, so they wouldn't do anything to her, most likely; and Kia would be out of their reach.

"Andelu i ven."

"Gandalf's death was not in vain, nor would he have you give up hope."

I listened to the voices of the others, trying to guess at what comes next. I wasn't sure how long I would be able to stand the pressure of keeping up the act of being a sorceress from a "far-off land." Maybe soon, I would lose my foothold on a badly-placed lie and fall to the ground below. The fact that I was going to see Galadriel almost made me feel better. I wouldn't have to lie to her, I couldn't lie to her. That was worth something, I was sure of it.

But why did I have to lie at all? If someone could put in a good word or something, maybe I could be freed from having to fake everything. I could be a normal girl, and I could give away my responsibility to others. I could just wait then, for someone to send us back. Maybe I could live right there, in Lothlorien. But, I knew that I couldn't do that. As the only one with the humanoid body, I had to use my head to get the others through.

* * *

I had not expected Galadriel and Celeborn to give off such an aura of radiance. It was so clean and white, that it almost hurt. I could feel the pressure of their presence.

"The Enemy knows you have entered here. What hope you had in secrecy is now gone."

I stood at the edge of the platform, slightly to the left of the Fellowship. I couldn't help but feel slightly out of place. I wasn't a member of the Fellowship. It was obvious, and I looked at Galadriel now, and knew that she could know it, too. The pressure was pounding on my head now, and I could already feel tears pushing at my eye. I poked my thumb and forefinger at them, trying to look as casual as I could.

"Nine there are here, yet not the nine that set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf?"

Galadriel's eyes suddenly shifted to me, and I could almost hear the sound of our eyes locking together.

"_Do not be frightened, Dragonfriend,"_ her voice told me. I was scared though, and all I could do was keep the tears from falling from my eyes, _"I have an early visitor. He has spoken about you, and would like to meet you."_

Who? I thought, and hoped it wasn't someone I knew from our world. That would be another thing to worry about again.

"_You shall meet him. The livelihood of his race rests in your hands,"_ she smiled, and it made me feel better just to see it, _"If you keep the world within your heart, you will succeed."_

With that she moved on to the next person that she would speak to. I couldn't hear anything else, and found it hard to think at all. I hardly understood anything that happened after that. Galadriel spoke to each member in turn, some with words and some with her thoughts. I stared around at the platform, dazed completely by Galadriel's light.


	8. Quests and Spirits

The story gets really odd from here, since I mix in some spirits from the Tales series. Yay!

If the first few lines don't appear on your screen correctly, it's because your computer is not Japanese character compatible. If you have a Windows, you can download the software for free from their site, but you don't need to if you can accept my translation that I spent maybe five minutes on.

* * *

**Quests and Spirits**

会いに来たよ　会いに来たよ　君に会いに来たんだよ

君の涙のふるさとから　乾ききった世界まで

僕を知って欲しくて　君を知って欲しくて　来たんだよ

I came to meet, I came to meet, I came to meet you

From the hometown of your tears, to this completely dry world

So you could know me, so you can know yourself, that's why I came

(Song: _Namida no Furusato_ meaning Hometown of Tears

Lyrics by Bump of Chicken, Translation by Firefly Knights)

* * *

"The Lady has allowed you to stay," said Haldir, reporting into my personal space without a sound. I jumped, and he seemed to smirk…maybe, "You are allowed to also retrieve your sword from Aragorn. 'morrow's morning you shall find your dragon friend, who will join you as well."

He left as quietly as he came. I watched him go, wondering what it was like to be an Elf. I had heard once that the inevitability of death is what makes our lives count. What would it feel like to not have that at all? Would life seem boring to him, to all the Elves? That gave me one more thing to ask Legolas once he stopped avoiding me. The Elf was avoiding me, certainly, since he would look at me like I was something that jumped out of a hole in the ground every time he saw me. Well, maybe now that I was Galadriel-certified, he would stop doing that. If I was going to move along with this Fellowship, I would have to become friends with _everybody_. Even pretty-boy pointy-ears.

I slipped over to where I guessed Aragorn was. I found him under one of the huge, silver-barked trees. He was cleaning his weapons. To my surprise, he was tending to Sakura's blade at the moment. I jogged the rest of the way over.

"Oh, thanks," I said, honestly surprised at how thankful I felt, "I'm sure she's happy."

"I'm…not…" said Sakura, but she obviously didn't mean it completely.

Aragorn looked over at me. My face was only a tad bit above his. It reminded me again of how short I had become. I made a grimace at the fact. Who did this to me? Why a ten-year-old? I sat down next to the Ranger, watching him with interest.

"The Lady has told me that you know nothing of the uses of a sword in combat, and only know this sword's use for the spells of your land," he said, turning back to his work at hand, "Watch, because I will not teach you."

I watched very carefully as he finished tending to the sword. I had a lot to learn, and it was a good thing we were staying in Lothlorien for a week or two. I would need to learn how to survive in a swordfight and brush up on my spells if I was going to follow the Fellowship any further. Aragorn seemed to understand this, and was being very kind about it. I felt really bad about lying to these guys in the first place. I would tell them everything, but not now, I figured maybe later.

"You will need a teacher in swordplay," he said, handing a finished Sakura to me, "Perhaps Boromir."

"Why not you?" I asked, confused.

The Man smiled, his eyes finally laughing. It was good to see that, those eyes were usually too busy to laugh like that, "I would not make a good teacher. Boromir, on the other hand, has already made masters of the two little Hobbits."

I made a face, but really felt loved because of the joke, "Are you giving me a hard time over my height? I'm more mature than I look, you know?"

"I do know," he said, patting a hand on my shoulder, giving me a good deal of confidence through the gesture, "You negotiate well. I believe that you could easily talk Sauron into believing that he was born from a rooster's egg. That is exactly why I would like you to learn how to protect yourself."

I took Sakura in hand, and spoke to her, "Did you miss me, Sakura?"

"No," she said, irritated, "But I hated being with Mister Scruffy here. At least your hands aren't covered in dirt."

I laughed, and Aragorn looked at me as if I were crazy. That was understandable, of course.

"I suppose I should explain," I said, "The swords in my land that are very well usually develop a sort of soul," I tapped the jewel in the center of Sakura's guard, "The older they are, the deeper their wisdom. Although this one is still a young sword, she has a very good memory. She knows all the spells from my land, and she helps me remember them during battle. Her voice can only be heard by the chosen wielder, but it seems that dragons can hear them as well."

I wondered if Galadriel could hear Sakura, or communicate with her mind.

"I see," said Aragorn, with a face that told me he didn't quite buy what I said, "What does she say?"

"Knowing won't make you happy."

"Try."

"She says that you should wash your hands more if you plan to handle her again."

He laughed at this. I was relieved that he was someone who could take a joke so well.

* * *

I hid in the shadow of a tree as Frodo passed by, looking as if he was thinking deeply about something. He had just come back from the Mirror of Galadriel. I gulped and walked towards the area, and found Galadriel sitting near her mirror. I stepped into the circular platform, giving a unsure bow before going any further. The Lady only smiled and made a flowing gesture with her hand that told me to approach. I did, stopping on the other side of the mirror.

"Why do you wait before the water?" she asked, a curious spark in her mellow voice.

"I thought you would show me something there," I answered, hands behind my back so I wouldn't be tempted to touch the surface of the water.

"I do not quite understand how you have come to know so much about our world," said the Lady. She stood up, and seemed to float, not walk, towards me, "But what I wish to show you is not my mirror, but a visitor."

A miniaturized whirlwind formed above the water. I stepped back, awed at the event. When the whirlwind stopped, a young boy was floating above the water, smiling happy at me. He was a plain looking fellow with brown-blonde hair and clear blue eyes. The only strange things about him were the fact that he was floating, and a pattern of grey and blue tattoos adorning his face and arms.

"Hello, Lisa," he said, doing a flip as he floated effortlessly in the air, "I've been sent by you to find you."

"That makes a whole lot of sense," I blurted, forgetting to be subtle in my confusion.

"I've only come to explain to you your purpose," he said, sulking slightly, "You don't have to be so mean, Dragonfriend."

"Is that going to be my title? Dragonfriend?" for some reason, I felt rather open when I talked to this guy, "What do you want?"

"Well you're business-like," he said, put-off, "Here's the deal. You read the Chrestomanci books by Dianna, right?"

I wanted to question why this floating boy was on first name terms with one of my favorite contemporaries but held it back, "Sure?"

"Well, this is a world in the series of worlds that have Middle Earth," he said, looking proud of that fact for some reason, "This is a world where the Fellowship fails."

He said the thing so simply and easily, that it shocked me. I jumped up to try and drag him down to ground level so I could punch him. He giggled and floated further up. He turned to Galadriel, who just smiled again. She looked over at me, beckoning me to come closer. I did, and she placed her hands on my shoulder.

"I would not have sent for you if there was not a ray of hope. And I am certain that your future self would not send this spirit to you only to discourage herself," she said. I felt slightly better from those words, but her eyes really told me that everything would be okay. They reminded me of the brown-green eyes that I saw in the little girl that I saw when I first fell down into Middle Earth. Eyes that told me that everything will work out.

"Sauron," continued the boy, "Has gotten control of our king. The King of the Elemental Spirits. Our king's name is Origin, I think you know him."

"Origin?!" I shouted, voice louder than I had intended, "Well, yeah, he's from a video game. But he's not from a video game that has to do with this world, is he?"

"Yup, in this world there are a few of us," he said, "There's Origin, me, and six others. And you are the only one who can take Origin back from Sauron's forces. Well, you and that Frodo guy, Origin's bound by the power of the Ring, but also by the power of the Dark Lord himself."

He floated down to me and snapped his fingers. A hat plopped down onto my head, a brown wizard's hat. Its brim was slightly oversized, and had tiny bells at the edges. The boy nodded.

"It fits you, I thought so when I met you in the future," he said, smiling, "So you'll just have to meet all my kin, then free Origin. Good luck."

Without leaving me time to ask questions, the boy disappeared in a whirlwind again. I looked at Galadriel. She smiled her Mona Lisa smile and embraced me gently. I stood where I was, staring at her. She seemed like a mother hugging her daughter, and I finally understood that she definitely wanted to have me safe. I hugged back, sort of. We parted, and she leaned forward to come eye-level with me.

"He does not reveal much," she said, her eyes laughing.

I nodded my agreement, "No, he definately doesn't."

* * *

The next morning was fresh and cool. I stretched my arms up into the air, feeling much better than I had in a while. An Elf brought some food, from which I chose a pear-like fruit. I bit into it, and then sighed relieved.

"Wonderful, the fruit tastes the same."

Leaving Sakura to stay with the backpack, I ate the pear as I walked. I watched the Elves go about their lives at the sides of my vision. They seemed to be going somewhere all the time, but never all that busy. I wonder what they did. Did they hunt and farm like everyone else? There was food, so I guess they did do that, but what else? That couldn't be it, that would be no fun at all.

I headed towards the other side of Caras Galadhon, looking for Kia. I wasn't looking where I was going and walked smack into Frodo, who obviously wasn't looking where he was going either.

"Sorry," he mumbled, in deep thought. I could sympathize, since now I had a part in saving the world from Sauron.

"No, it's okay, I wasn't watching where I was going," I cocked my head to one side, "I'm going to meet Kia. You wanna come with me?"

The Hobbit looked me in the eyes, and I could already see the fatigue that the Ring was giving him. He nodded, and walked next to me. He was looking down most of the time, making me feel uncomfortable.

"You alright, Frodo?" I asked after a while, "You don't have to come with me if you're tired, you know."

He kept his line of sight downwards for a while. I looked at his curly-haired head, now understanding more than ever how heavy the burden must have been. He seemed wilted, like a flower that hadn't been waters for days. It was painful just to watch it happen. Just when I was about to give up communicating with him, he rounded in from of me. He pulled the chain out of his shirt, showing me the Ring.

Now that I think about it, that was the first and last time I had ever seen the One Ring. It was very small, and could have been a wedding band. It didn't seem like something that could give people power, make them go mad, make them invisible, make the Nazgul follow them. Then, it happened. The strength of the Ring began pulling at my mind, wiling me to take it, and use it to my own ends. I stared at the small piece of gold, feeling the power of it beat in my heart. I could half-see the Eye of Sauron, staring intently at me and my big brown hat.

"Will you take it from me?" said the Hobbit, looking smaller by holding the ring in his hand. However, he was still about the same size as me, "Could you take it and use its power? Can we trust you?"

I felt my hand reach out to it for a moment. I willed it to drop back down to my side. It dropped down suddenly, as if that was all I had to do. The vision of Sauron vanished, and all I saw was a golden ring and Frodo Baggins, the unfortunate hero. I had no use for a Ring of Power. I now had a Hat of Power of sorts, so I wouldn't need to accept another huge responsibility.

"No," I said, smiling, "That's your ball-and-chain, this hat is mine. Fate's having a whole lot of fun with us, but we'll pull through, okay? Don't feel down."

Frodo looked content with this, and put the chain back into his shirt. I couldn't take it anymore and ruffled his curly hair. This was a hero worth protecting, I figured.

_keep the world within your heart_

I held my hand to mine, swearing that before I went home to my world, I would save this one.


	9. Swordplay and Homesickness

Most of this chapter is a lot of thinking, so it might bore some people...Sorry about that...-_-;

* * *

**Swordplay and Homesickness**

I ducked as a branch swung back at my head. _Freakin' trees._ Raising my head again, I noticed that we were approaching a clearing. The sunlight peeked through the canopy and fell glinting onto Kia's black scales. She looked bigger than I remembered, but I figured that it was because the clearing was small-ish, so in comparison, she looked larger. She swished her tail playfully as she saw and heard me coming. She was real a beautiful creature, and I wished that I had been turned into something useful like that, not just some smart, little ten-year-old.

Her eyes glinted a relieved shade of green. It must have been a very scary night for her. At any second, the Elves could have disliked the outsider-ness of us, and come to shoot her dead. However, she seemed to have been able to keep herself together. She lifted a claw in greeting. Frodo moved silently into the clearing on his big, but nimble Hobbit feet. I made a face, slightly jealous over the fact that Hobbits had such a useful ability.

"Well, that didn't take long," she said, raising her head as well, "Did you have a nice talk with the Lady?"

I gave her a reprimanding look, but it didn't hide the fact that I was happy that the worst, for now, was over, "Oh yes, a wonderful one. And an elemental spirit gave me this hat."

"That sound very Sue-ish for you, doesn't it?" asked Kia, breaking the fourth wall only slightly.

"It happened," I said, pulling on the huge brim on the hat, causing the bells to jingle softly, "It's not my fault that some floating tattoo-boy thing met me in the future."

I explained yesterday's events to Kia was well as Frodo. Frodo didn't know about Origin and the others, apparently, and Kia only knew a very small amount from the video games that she didn't play anyways, so it was a very long explanation. Elemental Spirits always had something to do with keeping the balance of nature, as far as i could remember. They all had an element that they ruled over. The ones I could remember were the four basic elements: Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind. There were those other ones that changed depending on the storyline of the game like Light and Dark, Time and Matter. There were too many to remember them all, so I decided that trying to do so was a waste of time. Usually, the people in charge of summoning them into battle or for other uses used jewels, crystals, rings, or sound to do so. I assumed that the bells on my hat were used to make sound to call upon them. Frodo looked over at me with those blue eyes that were hard to shake off.

"Sauron has their king?"

I nodded, only sort of understanding the meaning and significance that the fact made on this world, "Judging by the fact that the ground hasn't reared up and carried you out to Mordor, I guess having Origin bound to him doesn't automatically make him in control of all the elements."

Kia looked thoughtful, her eyes in between the colors green, blue, and black, "But it might give him control of something else. Maybe some powerful weapon or something."

"Like the Eternal Sword from the video game?" I laughed when I saw Frodo's confused face, "It's nothing, only something from our lands. Right, Kia?"

"Sure," said the dragon with slight sarcasm, resting her tail on Frodo's head, "don't worry about what we say too much. It's not supposed to make much sense, because we're crazy."

The Hobbit just looked questioningly at us. I would explain more to him later, since it was most likely that none of what we had explained so far made any sense to him. Kia got up on all fours, stretching out all of her joints before roaring out. Her voice reverberated through the woods, spooking birds from their spots in the trees. She grinned, pleased that she was becoming more and more dragon like as the days went by. I realized that she really was getting bigger. Maybe whatever brought us here had made her cave sized at first, and by the time we were pulled into huge wars, she would become battle-sized. I hoped so, I didn't want her to get hurt during this whole thing, since now it seemed more and more as if the only reason we were all here was because I was supposed to be the one to meet and free all of these Spirits at help make this world one where everyone could live in peace. I felt responsible, and although Kia seemed happy to be her favorite mystic creature, she was in just as much danger as everyone else.

"I want to go into the civilized part of the woods, then," said Kia, smiling at us, "Sleeping out here is nice, but I'm really hungry."

"Well that's one thing we have in common," said Frodo, leading the way to the Golden Wood.

I stood back for a while, staring at the pieces of sky that I could see through the canopy. It was clear and blue, just like the sunny days at home. It was strange how our worlds could be so different, but some things seemed the same. The sky changed colors just as the water was unpredictable. The pear I had eaten was the same as the pears at home. Fish still needed gills. Birds needed wings. Moles dug underground, ignorant of the world milling about above them. Bells jingled, flags flapped in the breeze. Someone needs to grow the food you eat. Children played dangerous games. Adults forgot what it was like to be younger. No one was wiser than the ones who had been in the world the longest. Books gave a sense of being in another world. And no matter how magical they were, everything that lived, someday, would pass from the realm.

I took my hat off and bowed to the wonders of the universe before jogging to catch up with the others.

* * *

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

I gave attention to my posture as I leveled Sakura up to eye level. She gave a huff, obviously not so happy at having to practice swordplay. She had complained irritably that we would both be fine with using spells. I had only shrugged, convincing her that it wouldn't hurt to try a least. She had grudgingly complied, although I knew that she would rather have me stand in the back, casting spells from a safer distance. Her worry flattered me.

My teacher, who did end up being Boromir, began his mock assault. There were a few bricks placed an interval, which were supposed to be obstacles on the battlefield. I stepped carefully around these as I met each swing of the sword. I muttered to myself, reciting what I had learned. Kia, along with Merry and Pippin who had grown attached to her, watched from a safe distance. They were talking amongst each other, but about what will forever stay a mystery to me. I shifted my concentration to myself, Sakura, Boromir, and the mock obstacles. Swordplay was tougher than it looked, and my full attention needed to be on it.

"One, two, three. Good. Now jump over that one."

I complied, and hopped backwards over the next pile of bricks, landing with a slight wobble on the other side.

"Don't land like that," said Boromir, slashing down. I blocked quickly, even though I knew that he would have stopped before he actually hit me, "It leaves you open to attacks like that one. Now push back and…attack!"

I jostled him off. taking a half-hop back, I launched forward, aiming a stab at the chest. The man laughed and flicked Sakura away with the flat of his blade. It made me burn with a slight bit of envy that he could pull off such a clean movement like that so easily. I hopped back on one foot, feeling discontent from that chain of movement.

"That did nothing to help me," I complained, feeling undeniably useless.

The man shook his head, smiling, "It kept you from getting hit, did it not?"

I made a face, since I couldn't think of a comeback for that. I was, indeed, at a distance where the enemy couldn't reach instantly. That movement that came naturally after being flicked away could definitely save my life in a pinch.

Kia looked up, "I'm taking the Hobbits for a ride. That's okay, right?"

I shrugged, "I guess, don't get shot."

"Roger that!" she squeaked in a very un-dragon-like way. The Hobbits clambered onto the black-scaled dragon. They seemed like those kids you see at the country fair, who are all too eager to ride on the ponies, "Off to Eeeeeeeeeegypt!!!"

And off she went, stumbling at first, but beautiful once in flight. The dragon flapped her wings elegantly twice. The Hobbits gave happy shouts of approval, giddy from the feeling of sailing through the air. The dragon gained altitude, riding on a stream of air so that she seemed to ride on a curve that rose steadily upwards. She gave a roar, which the Hobbits supplied with and extra boost of shouting. With that, they headed out of sight leaving another hole in the canopy of branches. The Elves on the ground saw this, and gave small tisk-tisks of disapproval. I shrugged at the ones who looked at me as if I was Kia's owner or something, and Kia was a puppy that ran amuck in their garden. Boromir was also staring at the hole in the branches.

"Where is this Eegypt she speaks of?" he asked.

"Egypt" I corrected, sighing at Kia's Egypt obsession, "is a country in my lands where there are huge triangular graves of the Pharaohs, the kings of old."

"Ah…" he said, and I was sure he was trying to imagine what that was supposed to look like. He probably failed somehow, since I'm pretty sure that they didn't have too many pyramids lying about in Middle Earth, "Will they be gone too long?"

It was my turn to laugh, "She was joking," I said, giggling a little, "She'll be back before lunch, or Pippin's second breakfast."

"Well, then…One, two, three!"

Giving a small yelp at the suddenly resumed lesson, I hurriedly dodged the first attack by jumping quickly backwards. Sidestepping the second, I readjusted my grip on Sakura, swinging her at Boromir's feet. He easily hopped over this and struck a third time at my side, which I blocked by holding Sakura sideways, parallel to my body. I maneuvered around another stack of bricks and faced Boromir again. Shock from the sudden wave was apparent on my face, although I secretly gave myself a mental pat on the back for being able to react so well. Sakura seemed to nod at this.

"That was actually pretty good, Lisa," she said, the jewel glowing slightly, "Now you just have to get good enough to insert a few spells between your strikes, and nothing can stop you."

"Don't rush me, Sakura," I said, giving her a good glare, "That's definitely not something that I can learn in a day."

"Four."

The sound came from behind. I pivoted, and whipped Sakura backwards in hopes of blocking the attack and knocking the whatever it was off-balance in the same movement. I had seen the movement in a video-game once, and it seemed like a good idea.

Sakura met with a clash and an indignant sigh with a thin white knife. I looked up to see Legolas, who was already looking past me. It was a bit annoying to have him interrupt, but at least I knew he wasn't avoiding the Dragonfriend anymore. I didn't really like him in the first place, since for someone so graceful, it seemed at if his head were made from rocks. For a chronic liar like myself, people who were hard-headed and had a different sense (or plane) of humor were the worst enemy. He was also always so clean, which didn't seem fair when the rest of us got covered in dirt in the natural way. It was going to take me a while to get along with the Elf, or all Elves most likely. The pretty-boy spoke to Boromir.

"Did you teach her that?"

"No," said Boromir, looking relieved that I didn't let him down as a student, "She seems to have developed a bit of an instinct for battle."

"That's a good sign," the Elf said brightly. I glared up at him, but he probably didn't notice, "Some die before developing one at all."

They seemed like there was something else that needed to be talked about. My eyes wandered to the side as I realized that my lesson was over for now. I flicked Legolas' knife out of my way and walked over to the side, picking up a few of the bricks so I could go practice elsewhere. I looked back to see the two speak in hushed voices. I wondered how serious they really were about teaching a sorceress that looked like a ten-year-old girl. They couldn't be that intent on it, and it was ridiculous to hope so.

We found a nice, lonely clearing where we could practice without accidently hitting a passing Elf. I tossed the bricks carelessly in front of myself, setting the field. I now looked at the spots where the bricks were are where the enemies might be. That would work as a practice for fighting a few enemies at once. I brought Sakura up to my face. She seemed to smile, and spoke a little more kindly than usual.

"You know, Lisa," she said, the pink jewel sparkling with a sort of series of soft lights, "We could practice the attack and spell combination I told you about. We can show them your stuff and make them understand that you're worth their time. What do you say?"

I had to smile at this, "大和魂…見せてやろうぜぇ." (Let's show them the Yamato spirit, then.)

* * *

Stab, slash, duck, weave, swing…

"Ikki ni kimeru shika nai ne!" said Sakura, leaving me to speak half the spell.

Dodge, weave, swing…

"Zetsu-hyou no ken…" I whispered, Sakura suddenly covering with frost. I swung her again, feeling the new weight.

"Danzai no ken!" said Sakura, obviously having more fun with this than I was.

Three stabs and a back-step…

"Sono mi ni…_ki za me_!" I cried, swinging in a wide arc in front of us with each of the last three syllables.

In unison, we finished off the spell. I could taste the air as the water in it began freezing into little crystals around us. It was the chilly taste of a snowy dawn, "Ou gi! Celsius Caliber!"

I pulled Sakura upwards in a diagonal line, freezing the air as it happened. The air in front of us fizzed white and the freezing of water pulled into the center of the cut. The line of white stayed there a moment before it was melted by the suns rays, forced to become a puddle of water on the ground. It went back to its usual cycle of existance, probably annoyed at the interruption. When I saw that the cut of ice was gone I collapsed onto the ground, completely exhausted by the sudden burst of energy. My head hurt from consentrating on two things at the same time. I shook my head as I lay on the ground,

"Dude?" I said, addressing Sakura, but not looking at anything in particular, "Let's not do that unless we _really_ need to. Or any of the really big spells. I'd probably die just from the strain it puts on my arms and head."

Sakura laughed the "Haha, at least I don't get tired like you biological losers" laugh,

"It's fine," she said, seeming to know how good it felt to pull off a huge strike like that. It did feel good, but it was also tiring, "I know you'll just whine and cry if I asked you to use it when you're in danger."

I smiled. It seemed like just yesterday when this girl was small enough for me to hold her in my arms. It seemed like a week before when she had called Sprite "Pu-I-so". She really was so cute back then, now she was one of the most sharp-tongued sarcastics I knew. I held her to my chest, staring up at the golden leaves above us. We were so far away from home, and I began feeling it really badly now. I wondered what was happening in the real world. Maybe we were dead over there, and this was what the afterlife was like. Maybe the whole entire thing was just a dream, and I would wake up any moment now, just to forget about it as I talked to the human Sakura over the breakfast table. Maybe this was really real and everyone just though that we had gone missing without a trace during the earthquake, and had given up trying to look for us. I was muttering these things softly, and Sakura shone brightly in the jewel in understanding.

"Whatever the case, Lisa," she said, "We have to make the best of it."

Of course we did, but I couldn't help being homesick.


	10. The Storyteller and the Truth

I'm sorry this took so long. Life in general got in the way. Stupid life in general with all its driver's licenses and college and part-time jobs...

I'm sorry if this fic is starting to sound very LisaxEveryone...I didn't mean to. I was only trying to get her to be friends with everyone. Remember that she looks like a ten-year-old, and people treat her as such since they don't know any better.

Also, I haven't read the series enough to actually know what Elf children are like, so this is me just writing about them without the proper research.

* * *

**The Storyteller and the Truth**

It was a few days after we had arrived at Lothlorien. I had abandoned my jeans and other otherworldly clothes for something that actually fit the culture around me. I was wearing an Elf youth's used tunic and leggings. They were pretty things, green with slight golden embroidering. I also had a pair of very light Elven boots, which made me thankful that I didn't drop into Middle Earth after this bit in the story, or I would have mostly worn something from Rohan or Gondor, which would have been a few times heavier. I picked this set of clothes because they were easier to move around in. The Elven women had stopped me in front of my door for hours the first day, trying to get me to change into something more "presentable". That day I spent all day tripping on the hem of my flowing Elven robe. The dirt all over the white robes gave the women a reason not to use me as their dress-up doll anymore, which gave me the freedom to wear whatever I wanted.

"…They tumbled in anyhow, cheeping and feebly struggling. Sirius was carried, one of this writhing, squealing bundle, pressed and clawed by his fellows, jolted by the movement of the sack, until he was nearly frantic…"

I paused for a moment, placing a finger to the page I was on. I looked up at the child Elves and the two Hobbits Merry and Pippin who sat in a scattered pattern before me. They were staring upwards at me, wide-eyed and anxious to know what happens next. Reading to children was one of the only activities I knew how to do with kids. It's a good thing that I was also very good at the reading out-loud thing. A long time ago, I had a won an award doing it. I could feel them move along with every word that I read. I held the silence longer, savoring the feeling of having their complete and utter attention, even if I was borrowing the literary powers of Diana Wynne Jones. After another silent moment, one of the Elf children spoke up, his patience seemed to be spent.

"Well?" he said, looking as if he was about to stand up, "What happens next? Does he get the Zoi back?"

I cocked my head to one side, "Is that all you want to know? I could just _tell_ you that."

"No," said another child, "that would ruin it. I wouldn't want to hear the rest."

I wondered then about what it must be like to be an Elven child. They were only children for a very, very miniscule time of their lives. Their childhood was probably so much smaller than the rest of their lives, that they probably forgot what it was like by the time they were old enough to know how much their childhood could have meant to them. As I thought about this I realized that it was probably the same for everybody. It would probably just be a harder problem for Elves, since they had to live with the situation for a whole lot longer than the rest of us. I wished that these kids would have the most fun while they could, since life would most likely be pretty boring for them after they grew up.

"I could tell you how it ends," said Kia, exhaling smoke with a growling laugh, "Sirius-"

She was interrupted by a wave of shouting and the tap of children's feet. The children (along with the two Hobbits) were swarming Kia in seconds, ready to punish the one who almost ruined their fun. I sat on my stump and laughed, just watching. Kia gave out a few indignant shouts for help, which I gracefully ignored completely. After a few more minutes, she gave a huge shake, tossing children off onto the soft foliage below like a dog shaking water off its coat. Heaving a few huge strides she clumsily ran before rising into the air. She weaved a hairpin turn, gliding just above the children's heads before gaining more air. She found the hole in the canopy she had made a few days before and shot upwards, disappearing through the gap. The children shouted after her, but we could all see the trees above rustle as the dragon headed southward to hide from the children. Sakura gave a long sigh, obviously not impressed.

"She needs to learn patience," said the sword, glowing her pretty pink.

"Says Little Miss Sarcastic Sword," I said, looking over at here as she stood stabbed into the ground next to me, "And you hate children under your age. I can tell. You avoid kids as if they were the plague."

"They might _have_ the plague," she said, "And I don't care. I hate children, they're annoying."

I smiled fondly and placed a hand on her pommel. The jewel in her hilt went a deep pink that was closer to red. Was she blushing? I smiled wider, and I could hear her groan slightly in complaint.

"Will you stop having conversations with you sword? Truth be told, it give me shivers."

I turned to see Sam, who was in turn looking for the two Hobbits who had been listening to my reading. He was looking at me with a look that you use on someone who just put their entire fist in their mouth. It really must seem weird to see someone talking to a thing, that to you, was obviously an inanimate object.

I nodded to him, patting a spot next to me on the stump. He seemed to consider his options for a moment, but soon shrugged. By the looks of the leaves and twigs in his hair, he had been walking around and searching for the two for a pretty long time. He was probably too tired to argue, and any offered seat probably looked like a La-Z-Boy. He sat down next to me. He seemed frustrated at his situation, even though he had found Merry and Pippin. I just looked at him for a while, before deciding to speak up.

"So…" I said, feeling pretty awkward, "What's got your goat?"

"Nothing," sulked Samwise. Yup, nothing definitely meant something.

"It can't be nothing, Sam," I said, raising one eyebrow, "You're not usually the one to just sit around and sulk."

"Do I look like an orange?" he asked, turning suddenly to me, making me jump.

"Umm…" there was no real way to answer this. Besides, the stump wasn't the biggest place in the world, and his face was way too close, "…No?"

Sam calmed himself down and scooted an inch away from me, "Them Elves said so when they saw me this mornin'."

"Uhhh…" I looked over at Sakura, who only winked out of view so that she was a dull, unshining pink-tinted glass. Leave it to Sakura to leave you on your own with a hurt Hobbit, "I guess you're a little bigger around the middle, but that's Elves for you. They're perfect, we're not. Right?"

"Nmm…" mumbled Sam, not looking too happy. In fact, after that outburst, he seemed to have faded-out into a saddened gray "I suppose…"

My voice hit a note higher as I tried to think of the good things about Sam, "And you're good with animals. I'm sure even an Elf can't beat you in that! And you're an excellent gardener. And you're the only one who can really cheer up Frodo…"

"You think so," he asked. I suppose Frodo was the trigger?

"I know so," I said, touching the large brim of my hat, causing the bells to jangle in a somewhat unharmonious cord, "I'm not a sorceress for nothing, Samwise Gamgee."

"Well I hope you're right-"

He was interrupted by an Elf child who pulled on his sleeve. We both looked down at the child, who only gave an annoyed look back.

"She was reading to us," he said indignantly, "You have to wait your turn."

Sam and I looked at each other, and laughed.

* * *

I lay on my back, simply tired. I was starting to hate all of this practicing. It was too much work on my head to think about all those things at once. I looked at my left hand to see the wooden stick there. I was getting to the phase in my training where I was only half-way good at using a sword, and therefore the most dangerous. The semi-confidence I had would make me do something stupid. That's what my teacher told me, anyways. I kept my place there for a while, panting and staring up at he leaves that meshed together far, far above us.

"Very good," said Boromir, tramping through the fallen leaves to talk to me. Oh, how flattered I was. Note the sarcasm there, it's very important, "All you have to do now is learn not to fall over when you dodge backwards."

I glared at him from my place in the soft, half-disintegrated leaves, "I can't help the fact that I have short, clumsy legs."

Boromir only laughed and helped me up. After a moment, all I could do was look away. Knowing what would happen to my teacher in a few days or so was tougher than I had first thought it would be. This surprisingly kind man would never see his homeland again. At least, not alive. I kicked the leaves a bit, and grasped my mock-sword again hoping to learn as much as I could before it was too late. I finally got myself to look at him, and he made a flourish with his wooden weapon.

"Come at it then!"

I took a longer way around by spinning, gaining momentum that gave a push as I met swords with my teacher. He flicked the attack easily and made a swing at my head. Not having enough time to regain my balance and block, I ducked instead. From my low stance, I moved into range again, pulling the wooden weapon back towards me and holding it with both hands as I got as close as I could before swinging. I thought I had him for the first time, before he disappeared from my sight completely. I heard him land in a billow of fallen leaves on the other side of me. Rolling my eyes, I tumbled hurriedly sideways. As expected, his play-sword landed with a thud at where I had been moving a moment before. I jumped up again, holding my weapon before me, which to anyone watching would look like a foolish little girl trying to play tennis with a stick.

"Good."

"Don't 'Good.' me, Boromir," I said, "I still haven't landed a blow on you once."

"At least you can avoid getting a blow from me. That is a very large improvement, and will keep you alive in battle," said the man, laughing. After a moment, his expression changed, "Is something the matter, little sorceress?"

I jumped slightly. Were my thoughts that readable?

"No? Nothing's wrong at all. Why do you think so?"

Boromir sighed and tossed his stick aside, "Your form is as sharp as always, but much less organized. I have a brother who uses his mind as you do. When he had something on his mind, it was very easy to see. There is only _so much_ that one can fit into their heads. Worry and swordplay do not mix easily."

I cursed Faramir for being an intellectual, "Well…It's nothing that'll make you happy."

"Ah," said the man, obviously not impressed by my haphazardly tossed up cryptic-ness, "So she hides the truth."

"It really won't make you happy," I said. It made me feel horrible, "The truth isn't always the best thing to believe."

"It's about me then," said the man, taking the wooden weapon away from me, "What does the sorceress know that I should not?"

I looked down again, "I shouldn't tell you. It'll change the course of the future."

Maybe if Boromir didn't die in the Battle of Amon Hen, the Hobbits might have been killed by accident. Faramir would have no reason to capture Frodo and Sam. Even if he did, Boromir's sacrifice would not be there to move his heart to free the two as they headed to Mordor. The horn would not have been split, and Denethor would not have gone crazy, and therefore, would not have died to leave Faramir alone. I wished I could have the courage to change the course of the story, but I didn't. I only have the courage to change things so that they ended the way Tolkien had intended.

"Is it about Gondor?"

"Maybe," I shook my head, "It's something you'll understand soon enough. I'm fine, can we keep going?"

Boromir sighed, but ruffled my hair, anyways. It was at times like this I wished that I had a brother. As far as I knew, they were less persistent when it came to secrets than sisters were, "As long as you can promise not to let your thoughts mix with you swordsmanship, I have no need to intrude."

I thanked him, and in my thoughts, I apologized.

* * *

I promise to update faster...Just...so...busy...

Reviews are appreciated, especially if you have read this far. Thank you, thank you, thank you!


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